{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cotton-demands-answers-about-biden-strategy-to-counter-huawei", "Cotton Demands Answers About Biden Strategy to Counter Huawei", "2021-09-22", "2021", "2021-09", "Republican", "Senate", "AR", "Tom Cotton", "C001095", "www.cotton.senate.gov", "cotton", "https://www.cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: James Arnold or Mary Collins Atkinson (202) 224-2353\n\nSeptember 22, 2021\n\nCotton Demands Answers About Biden Strategy to Counter Huawei\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2014 Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) and Representative Mike Gallagher (R-Wisconsin) today wrote to Secretary of State Antony Blinken about the continued proliferation of Huawei\u2019s cloud services and to demand information regarding the Biden administration\u2019s strategy to counter Huawei Cloud\u2019s spread.\n\nIn part, the members wrote, \u201cHuawei\u2019s cloud services present an obvious danger to U.S. firms and citizens. This threat could manifest itself in the CCP\u2019s access to the personal data of visiting U.S. citizens, services members, businesspersons, and diplomats. Such an outcome could severely disadvantage U.S. diplomatic, intelligence, and economic efforts and must be resisted accordingly.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe must combat Huawei as a whole and target each of the company\u2019s commercial units, including their 5G, cloud services, mobile-phone, and underwater cable businesses. The purpose behind Clean Cloud, Clean Apps, and Clean Cable was to have a broad suite of Clean Network efforts beyond 5G designed to unify and mobilize allies against collaborating with untrusted Beijing-backed firms to advance global information security,\u201d the members continued.\n\nText of the letter may be found here and below.\n\nThe Honorable Antony Blinken\n\nSecretary\n\nUnited States Department of State\n\n2201 C Street, NW\n\nWashington, DC 20520\n\nDear Secretary Blinken,\n\nWe write to express our concern over the continued proliferation of Huawei\u2019s cloud services and to seek information regarding the Biden administration\u2019s strategy to stop Huawei Cloud\u2019s spread.\n\nToday, Huawei has at least 70 cloud service agreements with foreign governments or state-backed enterprises. These projects span more than 40 nations on almost every continent. They include projects in countries of immense geopolitical importance to the United States, such as, Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates. In addition, Huawei\u2019s cloud services revenues reportedly rose by almost 170 percent in 2020. This accelerating revenue stream threatens to undermine U.S. efforts to curtail Huawei\u2019s power, influence, and financial strength.\n\nThe international threat to data security and integrity posed by Huawei extends far beyond 5G. To cite just one example, China reportedly spied on the African Union (AU) headquarters using Huawei-made cameras that China installed when it built the building in 2012. Huawei also installed the AU headquarters\u2019 information and computer systems. In 2018, it was revealed that China had built backdoors into these systems, which it used to send sensitive information to Shanghai. If allowed to proliferate, Huawei\u2019s cloud services could give the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) similar access to additional governments, companies, and other important institutions, delivering Beijing a distinct information advantage.\n\nHuawei Cloud\u2019s e-Government services promise to help countries streamline document digitization, tax services, national ID systems, elections, and more. However, they also expose Huawei\u2019s clients to the prying eyes of the CCP. When Huawei\u2019s client is a private firm, every one of its customers is at risk. When Huawei\u2019s client is a country, its entire population and political structure sits in the crosshairs.\n\nHuawei\u2019s cloud services present an obvious danger to U.S. firms and citizens. This threat could manifest itself in the CCP\u2019s access to the personal data of visiting U.S. citizens, services members, businesspersons, and diplomats. Such an outcome could severely disadvantage U.S. diplomatic, intelligence, and economic efforts and must be resisted accordingly.\n\nDuring the previous administration, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Undersecretary of State Keith Krach launched the \u201cClean Network\u201d program to address the long-term threat malign authoritarian actors pose to data privacy, security, and human rights in the free world. Rooted in internationally accepted digital-trust standards and democratic values, it was expected to be an enduring effort involving a coalition of trusted partners.\n\nThis approach includes the Clean Cloud initiative, which aims to prevent U.S. citizens\u2019 sensitive personal information and U.S. business\u2019 intellectual property from being stored or processed on cloud-based systems accessible to foreign adversaries. Since last May, 60 countries\u2014representing over 66% of the world\u2019s GDP\u2014200 telecoms companies, and a host of other industry-leading companies have joined the Clean Network. The Clean Network\u2019s progress and all of its associated lines of effort must continue.\n\nGiven the national security threat posed by Huawei cloud services, we seek detailed answers to the below questions:\n\n1. What actions is the Biden administration currently taking to stop the continued proliferation of Huawei cloud services?\n\n2. Does the Biden administration plan to continue the Clean Network, including the Clean Cloud initiative? If not, why not? What\u2014if anything\u2014will replace it?\n\n3. To what extent has the Biden administration engaged governments that have signed Huawei cloud service contracts to discuss the threats posed by their decisions?\n\n4. Is the Biden administration actively working to provide other countries with alternative options to Huawei cloud services? If so, what are these alternatives and what is their status?\n\n5. Are any additional resources or authorities needed to successfully prevent the continued proliferation of Huawei cloud services?\n\nWe must combat Huawei as a whole and target each of the company\u2019s commercial units, including their 5G, cloud services, mobile-phone, and underwater cable businesses. The purpose behind Clean Cloud, Clean Apps, and Clean Cable was to have a broad suite of Clean Network efforts beyond 5G designed to unify and mobilize allies against collaborating with untrusted Beijing-backed firms to advance global information security.\n\nThank you for considering this important matter. We look forward to hearing from you.\n\nSincerely,", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:17:01Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cotton-demands-answers-about-biden-strategy-to-counter-huawei"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.808121869340539, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}